FBI Season 8 ended with a huge cliffhanger – and a big change for a special agent. So what’s next for OA and the team?
Warning: Spoilers below from FBI Season 8, Episode 22.
“Whether the perpetrator is inside or outside the FBI, we will always find a way to do the right thing. That’s kind of his whole deal.” Zeeko Zakiwho plays Omar Adom “OA” Zidan, exclusively told Us weekly of the explosive Monday, May 18, season eight finale.
Zaki, 36, also teased this due to his character’s surprise conclusion to Season 9 of FBI could pose a threat to OA’s constant quest to do good.
“I’m sure some boundaries will be crossed,” he teased Us of what is to come.
During Monday’s episode, the FBI team was forced to work with old enemy Anna Vorpe’s team (Claire coffee), who follows her own rules as she tries to retrieve a stolen bioweapon and prevent an outbreak in New York City.
After the team failed to secure the deadly pathogen before a bus full of civilians was infected, they were forced to turn around and try to find the antigen, which had also been stolen. Once OA and his partner, Special Agent Maggie Bell (Missy Peregrym) got their hands on the case, Anna’s team turned against her and beat both OA and Maggie to a pulp. Anna’s team claimed they had their own “orders” and stormed off with the pathogen to hand it to their boss.
Back at headquarters, the entire FBI team was told that “today never happened” and that the incident should never be spoken of again.
Missy Peregrym as Special Agent Maggie Bell, Zeeko Zaki as Special Agent OA Zidan, John Boyd as Special Agent Stuart Scola and Juliana Aidén Martinez as Eva Ramos.
Bennett Raglin/CBSOA and Maggie were visibly upset at the idea that the infected civilians were now collateral damage, especially after their new director cryptically informed the team that the bus had been “moved” to supposedly “treat” them.
OA did not accept the director’s explanation and called him a “disgrace” to the FBI, resulting in his immediate firing.
“We all have our limitations, and so does OA,” Zaki said exclusively Us the key scene. “It’s fun to see him hit the wall. And I can’t wait to see where I go from here.”
However, OA doesn’t fight back – instead he goes to the bullpen to say goodbye to ASAC Jubal Valentine (Jeremy Sisto), who is completely shocked by the decision.
While OA’s direct boss, SAC Isobel Castille (Alana De La Garza), remained silent during the dramatic moment, Special Agent Stuart Scola (John Boyd) started tearing up at the idea of leaving OA.
Maggie interrupted OA before he left the building and said, “I can’t lose you either,” referencing her sister’s death earlier this season.
OA replied, “You’ll never lose me, Mags,” before taking his own leave.
To make matters worse, OA was approached by Anna at a bar later that evening. She told him a sob story about why her team needed the antidote more than the civilians exposed to the city, claiming her death was “for the greater good.”
Missy Peregrym as Maggie Bell, Zeeko Zaki as OA Zidan and Alana De La Garza as Special Agent in Charge Isobel Castille.
Bennett Raglin/CBSIn a surprising twist, Anna then offered OA a place on her taskforce, which she said was working “unofficially” for the Defense Department.
At the end of the episode, OA made a call while staring at Anna’s business card, hinting that he might be considering the job – even though the villainous Anna was partly responsible for his firing.
“I’m in,” OA said as Maggie and Isobel picked up the phone on the other end and revealed that OA will be joining Anna’s task force and apparently helping the FBI take her down once and for all.
“I like to think that was always the plan,” Zaki said Us of the plot twist of OA being canceled, but both Maggie and Isobel knew it was going to happen. “Step one was getting fired, and step two…let’s just say we’re lucky it worked out.”
Zaki noted that while fans can breathe a little relief knowing that OA’s partner Maggie and his boss Isobel know he’s working undercover with Anna’s team, the rest of his friends have no idea what’s going on.
“We are trying to protect everyone and their jobs as best as possible. So that what they know does not harm them,” explained Zaki. “But I can’t wait to see how they react when they find out.”
When it comes to what OA will be like as a member of Anna’s off-the-books team, Zaki says his moral compass will be tested. However, the actor noted that he is hoping for “bloody revenge” against Strike Team member Devon, who was responsible for beating up OA in the finale.
“At the end of the day, he will always choose his righteous path…fingers crossed,” Zaki said of OA, who is poised to one day lead the FBI – assuming he makes it out of that twisted position alive next season.
John Boyd as Stuart Scola, Juliana Aidén Martinez as Eva Ramos, Missy Peregrym as Maggie Bell and Zeeko Zaki as OA Zidan.
Bennett Raglin/CBSZaki, who has been on the series since its premiere in 2018, narrated Us that Season 9 will be a challenge for everyone, confirming that he doesn’t know who Maggie will be working with while OA is away.
However, his goal is to “always deepen the relationship between Maggie and OA.”
Zaki also pointed out that fans might see more of possible love interest special agent Zara Ushruf (Pardis Saremi), who took the pressure off earlier this season for OA when he went a bit rogue.
“I’m excited to see where Zara goes. She’s so much fun to work with,” he teased. “And I hope that in the first episode we get to see OA on the other side, at least for a while.”
FBI returns for Season 9 on CBS in Fall 2026.
